COVER STORY
Tom Watson was viewed as something of a polarising figure during his time in politics – and some in the music biz are also unconvinced by the former Labour Party deputy leader’s appointment as the new chair of UK Music. In his first interview in the role, he takes on his critics – and pledges to get the industry working together to conquer coronavirus, Brexit and more…
------------ BY MARK SUTHERLAND ------------ T
om Watson is in a room full of music industry people arguing. Representatives of various music trade bodies with different acronyms are going at it hammer and tongs, unable to find much they agree on, let alone speak with one voice.
But this isn’t now, with Watson recently ensconced as the chair of umbrella trade body UK Music. This was in 2001 when Watson, then a newly-elected Labour MP, was an inaugural member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on music.
“You sit there as an MP and say, ‘Why are you in the room, what do you actually want from me?’” he chuckles today, calling in from his boxroom via Zoom, the coronavirus pandemic having prevented a face-to-face meeting. “And they were disagreeing with each other in front of us! So the logic of UK Music was very important and it has spoken with one voice for the sector. And, in this time of crisis, there’s never been a more important reason for UK Music existing, because we’ve got some very important conversations to have with government…” And Watson knows all about those. He served as an MP, in both government and opposition, for almost 20 years, standing down shortly before the last election. In that time, he held roles including deputy leader of the Labour Party and shadow culture secretary, becoming a familiar and supportive presence at many music biz events. During that time, UK Music also quietly established itself as the face of the British music business. Chaired by Beggars veteran Andy Heath ever since it started in 2008, the trade body managed to find a rapprochement between the industry’s myriad factions and has proved to be an effective lobbying presence for the industry on everything from copyright to diversity. The days of arguing in front of MPs are long gone.
Watson, however, who started at the trade body on April 1 – pretty much the day the entire music industry went into meltdown over the coronavirus crisis – is no stranger to a good argument. He was known as a passionate campaigner for Labour and a hard-but-fair political bruiser in Parliament. Later, he became somewhat persona non grata with the Momentum group within his party, who saw him as a disloyal deputy to Jeremy Corbyn’s leader.
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Members of that faction reacted with astonishment when Music Week broke the news of Watson’s UK Music appointment.
And it turns out they weren’t the only ones. His arrival may have been roundly welcomed by high profile names from music and politics, including health secretary Matt Hancock, PRS For Music boss Andrea C Martin, outgoing UK Music management team Andy Heath and ex-CEO Michael Dugher, PPL chief executive Peter Leathem and Kilimanjaro Live’s head of operations Zac Fox. But behind the scenes, a small group of senior music biz figures, including former BPI deputy chairman Mike Batt and broadcaster Paul Gambaccini, have been agitating against his appointment via an email campaign and a series of open letters, supported by pieces in right wing newspapers. Batt’s letter accused Watson of an “unpalatable and divisive history in public life”.
Some of Watson’s opponents’ criticism can be dealt with relatively easily. UK Music says that reports he will be paid £60,000 for two days work per week are inaccurate, while claims that his appointment was some sort of fait accompli do not appear to stand up.
“There’s never been a more important
The post was widely advertised, and received over 80 applications. Watson was one of six candidates interviewed by a panel (UK Music declined to name the panelists but Music Week understands they were a representative cross-section of the body’s membership). His appointment was ratified by the UK Music board and, while Music Week sources confirm the BPI voted against him over concerns about whether he could command support from the Conservative government he spent so long opposing, Music Week understands the labels body nonetheless respects the process. The BPI itself refused to comment.
reason for UK Music existing”
TOM WATSON UK MUSIC
But not all concerns are so easily waved away. Many of Watson’s veteran industry detractors focus on his controversial role in Operation Midland’s investigation into a suspected paedophile ring involving senior establishment figures. Watson highlighted the claims of Carl Beech, later exposed as a liar and convicted of child sex offences and perverting the course of justice. Some claim that damaged Watson’s credibility and that the investigation contributed to a climate that saw high profile industry figures, while not linked to Operation Midland, also falsely accused of historical sex offences. Watson is reluctant to go over that ground again but does note: “I have apologised both publicly and privately to people on that. I
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